Global Maritime Safety and Security Monitoring

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Global Maritime Distress Monitoring

While it piracy at sea is rare, it is still a threat that must be addressed and our customers are no exception. GEOS has been involved in piracy security alert notifications from commercial fleets from the southwestern Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. The team at the IERCC were able to act quickly and intelligently, bringing each of those incidents to a close without loss of life of the crew. However, more previlant are our commercial fishing customers, and corporations with maritime assets that have an incident at sea. Whether a mechanical failure, crew medical condition, or life threatening situations GEOS is there to assist each of them. GEOS has been providing maritime monitoring services for maritime assets, both private and commercial since 2007. With technical and operational support for Satellite Emergency Notification Devices (S.E.N.D.), Global Maritime Distress and Safety Systems (GMDSS), Satellite Phones and Vessel Tracking Systems, GEOS Safety and Response has always been at the forefront of Maritime Safety and Response Services. The GEOS IERCC has handled hundreds of maritime distress incidents all over the world. GEOS Safety Solutions is also partnering with industry leaders to further advance our maritime safety offerings, particularly in the commercial fleet market. GEOS provides for the seamless integration, management and monitoring of all your maritime assets, anywhere in the world. This allows you to manage all of your assets: People, Places and Things, with one easy to use interface.

Somali pirates hijack first ship since 2012

Somali pirates have seized a cargo ship in their first successful hijacking since 2012

Pirates have seized a merchant ship in the Red Sea and have taken it south towards Somali waters, in the first successful hijacking in the region since 2012.
The vessel, identified as the MV Marzooqah, sent a distress signal on Saturday evening in the Red Sea and was then turned towards the Gulf of Aden, said Andrew Mwangura, secretary general of the Seafarers Union of Kenya.
The number of attacks by Somali pirates dropped sharply in 2013, largely because of an international naval effort. No ships were succesfully hijacked.
But maritime experts have said the problem will remain as long as gangs operating out of Somalia are not disbanded on land.
Relative stability in Somalia in the past two years after 20 years of chaos and war has raised hopes that it could lead to a more permanent solution to a problem that has driven up shipping insurance rates, but it has yet to solve the issue. Source: Telegraph

First Pirate Attack In 2014 In The Gulf Of Aden Resulted In Apprehension Of Suspects By EU Naval Force

On Saturday 18 January 2014, the French EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta flagship FS Siroco in cooperation with Japanese assets released the crew of a Dhow that was suspected to have been used as pirate mother-ship. The flagship apprehended 5 suspected pirates believed to be responsible for an attack on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden a day earlier.
The oil tanker issued a distress call to the UK Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO) on the evening of Friday, 17 January, reporting to be under attack. According to the reports, the attack was repelled by a private armed security team embarked on board the oil tanker. The skiff then headed to a dhow which lingered nearby.
The EU Naval Force, in cooperation with other Counter Piracy Forces, reacted quickly to this incident. A Japanese Maritime Patrol Aircraft and a helicopter from the Japanese vessel JS Samidare, in associated support to the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF/CTF 151), initially located the dhow. The EU NAVFOR flagship FS Siroco was then able to close distance to the dhow and launch their helicopter and boarding team.
Upon nearing the dhow, the helicopter crew and boarding team observed that people on board the dhow were throwing equipment over board, deepening the suspicion that the dhow was indeed the reported pirate mother-ship.
Once the Siroco’s team boarded the dhow, 5 Somali suspect pirates surrendered and were separated from the dhow’s crew and transferred to FS Siroco for further investigation. As always, the EU Naval Force seeks, if possible, a legal finish with the prosecution of the suspected pirates.
The master’s initial statement supported the suspicion that his dhow has been pirated and his crew taken hostage several days ago off the coast of Somalia. He also stated that the suspect pirates were responsible for the attack on the oil tanker the day before. Source: EU External Action

Navy foils pirates attack on Iranian oil-tanker in Gulf of Aden

Pirates approaching on two boats attempted to stop the Iranian oil tanker somewhere close to Bab al-Mandab Straight by opening fire at the tanker.
The Navy unit in the area on mission to protect the merchant ships carried emergency operation to force the pirates to escape.
Three hours later, the pirates by six fast boats equipped with semi-heavy weapons attacked the tanker, but, they were forced to withdraw after several hours conflict.
This was the worst clash between the Iranian Navy units on mission to protect the merchant shipts against piracy in the Gulf of Aden over the past Iranian year.
Source: IRNA

Midlands man caught in crossfire of pirate attack

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - A Midlands man is caught in the crossfire of a pirate attack. After seeing our report Monday about an attack on a cruise ship in the Indian Ocean, John Wright called us saying his parents are on board that ship.
He says one of the bullets barely missed them. WIS News 10 spoke with Wright Tuesday about their frantic communication since the attack.
"All I knew is the boat had been attacked and I was very concerned," says Wright.
It's a phone call John Wright thought his family would never get. Sunday his parents left a voice mail detailing, of all things, a pirate attack on their cruise ship. His dad, also named John, was the only passenger on board that was hurt.
"Dad was standing at the window to see what was going on and the pirates saw him or saw lights in the window and began firing at the window," says Wright.
John's only communication with his parents since that first call has been e-mail.
The first one was very brief: "Pirates attacked ship last night, dad only injured with broken glass, on back, okay, pray. Email erratic, will try again, Mom and Dad."
"I emailed my mom last night to get an update, but haven't heard back," Wright told WIS News 10.
John actually got the update he had been waiting on during our interview: "Still in pirate waters, still have Spanish escort ship but rumor is they are leaving us tonight. We are the only US citizens on board. Bullet missed dad's head by about six inches, his back is healed from the shattered glass. Dad saw the pirates not 50 feet away, eyeball to eyeball. Pray, good luck, Mom and Dad."
It's message that helps put John's worries at ease.
"That's more information than we've had since we started contact with them, but that's amazing, it's kind of overwhelming a little bit," he says. "The fact that the bullet came inches from his head is really scary."
The ship's crew actually fought off the pirates using a fire hose and guns to stop the attempted hijacking.
The cruise ship is now headed to Genoa, Italy, where John's parents plan to celebrate their 43rd wedding anniversary. Source: WISTV.com

Pirates Take Tanker in Strait of Malacca Near Singapore

Nov. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Pirates hijacked a second tanker in a month off the Malaysian coast near Singapore, Asia’s biggest oil-trading hub, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Ten pirates armed with guns and knives boarded a vessel about 7.3 nautical miles (13.5 kilometers) west of Malaysia’s Pulau Kukup in the Strait of Malacca, forcing the crew to transfer its gasoil cargo to another ship, the IMB’s Piracy Reporting Center said in a Nov. 7 incident report on its website. The attack was about 34 miles west of Singapore, according to the co-ordinates recorded by the agency.
The Malacca Strait, which connects the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean, is one of the world’s two “most strategic chokepoints” for oil trade along with the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It’s the shortest sea route between the Middle East and Asia with about 15.2 million barrels of oil a day transported along the waterway in 2011, according to the EIA. About 90 percent of that was crude.
“Perhaps it’s the work of some kind of gang,” said Captain Mathew Mathai, the marine manager at the Nippon Maritime Center in Singapore, a research group funded by the Nippon Foundation. The attack is similar to those occurring off the coast of Nigeria because the pirates siphoned off the cargo, he said by phone today. “You need an empty ship to transfer the cargo to. It may be a syndicate in operation.”
Gasoil Cargo
The oil-products tanker contained gasoil, the IMB said in an e-mailed statement today. A fishing vessel was the only ship to be hijacked in the Strait of Malacca in all of last year, according to the organisation’s website.
The incident follows the hijacking of an oil-products tanker off Malaysia’s Pulau Aur in the South China Sea on Oct. 10, about 67 miles northeast of Singapore. Pirates stole the ship’s cargo before abandoning it on Oct. 15, the IMB’s website shows. The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia reported that a vessel called the Danai 4, carrying marine gasoil from Singapore to Vietnam, lost contact with its owners in the area on Oct. 10, according to an alert on its website.
Singapore, at the southern end of the Malacca Strait, was the world’s biggest container port in 2012 after Shanghai and the busiest trans-shipment hub. It’s the site of Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s largest oil refinery globally.
There have been 206 reported incidents of piracy worldwide this year, including 11 hijackings, data from the IMB showed. The number of attacks fell globally to 188 in the nine months to September from 233 for the same period last year. The number of armed robbery attacks on vessels in Indonesia is rising, the IMB said on its website Oct. 17. Source: Bloomberg

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